Back in September 2015, Pat Finnerty brought his rock opera, The Lid, to Underground Arts, and now, its corresponding album is finally available for streaming and/or purchase. Step into the Brit-rock, time-warping tale and its jovially catchy tunes. “Dedicated to Brian Langan and to all of the hard working people that made the show possible.” The album balances the personally-invested storyline, within a fun, uplifting, and truly creative musical framework.

<a href="http://patfinnerty.bandcamp.com/album/the-lid">The Lid by Pat Finnerty &amp; The Full Band</a>

Stuyedeyed is an alternative worldview presented through noisy and loud psych-rock, led by Nelson Antonio Espinal's exuberant blues-inflected vocals. Their music is grounded in the punk DIY scene and the NYC garage tradition, and their personal revolt against the disingenuous and the gentrified shines through with each howl of rage. With fuzzy layers so thick you can practically wrap yourself up in them, the Brooklyn-based band delivers a serious '70s guitar rock feel and loads of lo-fi goodness. Our sister blog Delicious Audio managed to catch Nelson before their three week February tour to ask him a few question about gear.

Blast off into the weekend, as the tandem of Kevin Nickles (Ecstatic Vision, Taiwan Housing Project) and Daniel Provenzano (Purling Hiss, Spacin') continuously pushes the boundaries, fusing hard-driving, raw rhythms, space-transmitted vocals and blasts of tangential-tracing free jazz into a Krautrock-melting pot of sound. Developing layers of flavor through inventive instrumental combinations, The Writhing Squares cultivates an air of surprise and intrigue as one straps into the sonic shuttle uncertain of what discoveries lie in the future. This Saturday, at PhilaMOCA, the Philly outfit will be opening the proceedings, followed by local punk/reggae-groovin' legends, Scram. This leads the way to the DC instrumental trio of The Messthetics, which includes former Fugazi members Brendan Canty and Joe Lally, whose debut album is due out later this year via Dischord Records. (Photo by Peter Kerlin) - Michael Colavita

<a href="http://thewrithingsquares.bandcamp.com/album/in-the-void-above">In The Void Above by The Writhing Squares</a>

With an appreciation for the jubilance of pop music and the willingness to explore new sounds that NYC is known for, in 2014 the city’s electronic musicians created music that could soundtrack all-night dance parties or pensive nights alone. Beshken captured that contrast best on For Time Is The Longest Distance Between Two People. The album migrates between spacious, simmering instrumental sections and buoyant, pulsing rave-ups. Overcoats played more heavily on thumping, dance-floor anthems with their debut album YOUNG, but lyrically the duo looked further than the party scene. Overcoats’ portrait of inner emotional struggles rivals the tact of many veteran pop songwriters. The electronic genre also took influence from the indie rock world. Guerilla Toss, featured on our cover this past fall, released GT Ultra, a mish-mash of post-punk, psychedelia, and electronica that’s near impossible to accurately categorize. Covering stuttering electronica in a dream pop-inspired haze, Blood Cultures’ Happy Birthday balanced the danceable with the moody. Perhaps not quite fitting into the electronic realm, Sneaks made a post-punky sophomore album using almost only a drum machine, bass guitar, and vocals to craft the expertly concise and individual It’s a Myth. To be fair, that album came out before Sneak’s Eva Moolchan moved to NYC, but since the band’s relocation we’ve proudly embraced them as our own. Belonging to the Electronic realm are also two NYC records we recently blogged about: Torres' dark and mysterious Three Futuresand Standing on the Corner's avant-hip hop masterpiece, and recent Deli NYC Record of the Month, Red Burns. - Cameron Carr

Every Little Thought, the forthcoming album from Hurry, will be released on February 23 via Lame-O Records. Directed by Brendan McHugh (Everyone Everywhere), the video for “Waiting For You,” which was shot at Philadelphia Horticultural Center, finds the band perusing the plants as well as performing. A pensive plot of isolation, perpetuated by persistent phone use, is both relatable, and hints at a need to change. Hurry is scheduled to perform at Everybody Hits tonight, with Wildhoney, Glitterer, Empath, and Knifeplay.

The Deli Magazine was born in NYC's Attorney Street in 2004, in the shape of a print issue with a then unknown band on its cover, called Grizzly Bear. Ths NYC blog came in 2005, then the SF one in 2006, and then 9 more in the following years. The Deli is focused on the coverage of emerging bands and solo artists with a 100% local focus - no exceptions!